2005 Vosne Romanee 1er Cru

Lachaux’s 2005 Vosne Romanee (from a couple of low-lying parcels below the town) offers subtle red fruits, floral perfume, and exotic spices. Quite creamy and polished on the palate, it finishes with a somewhat diffuse, lightly salty fresh red fruit character that will probably focus after the wine has rested in bottle. Also recommended: 2005 Bourgogne (85). Pascal Lachaux (the late Robert Arnoux’s son-in-law, who has been in charge here now for nearly two decades) had just bottled his 2005 collection – vinified in his superb, recently-completed, gravity-fed facilities – when I visited. Lachaux compares the proper watchword of the winemaker in a vintage with Pinot as healthy and naturally-concentrated as in 2005, to that of a chef confronted with a perfect piece of fish: restraint. That also describes the results he has achieved in bottle, although allowance should be made for the possibility that the expression of certain wines was restrained by their recent bottling. mporter: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990.

Good bright red-ruby. Fresh, highly aromatic nose offers cassis, flowers, licorice and smoke. Juicy and precise, with impressive clarity and energy for village wine. Comes across as cooler than the Nuits villages, with a more obvious mineral character and brisker acidity. Finishes with excellent cut.

CS Delicate and peppery, gentle black fruit, very silky, pretty long. Gentle. (JH)